The first faction is the Magian strain. They deny Allah’s decree even while acknowledging His commands and prohibitions. Among them, the extremists reject His knowledge and the written record altogether, whereas the moderates deny the universality of His will, creation, and power. These moderates are the Muʿtazilah and those who side with them.

The second faction is the idolatrous group. They affirm divine decree and predestination yet repudiate the command and the prohibition. Concerning them, Allah, Exalted is He, says, “Those who associate others with Allah will say, ‘Had Allah willed, neither we nor our fathers would have associated partners with Him, nor would we have forbidden anything.’” (Qur’an 6:148). Hence, anyone who seeks to nullify the divine commands and prohibitions by appealing to predestination belongs to this group—a tendency now widespread among certain Sufis who claim to possess the “reality” (ḥaqīqa).

The third faction is the Satanic one. They acknowledge both divine decree and the revealed command but declare this a contradiction attributed to the Lord, thereby casting aspersions on His wisdom and justice. Such objections are reported from their leader Iblis, as cited by scholars of sectarian doctrines and even found in the scriptures of the People of the Book.